Credit to Zac Retz
With production lasting roughly five years, SCOOB! was envisioned to be Warner Bros.' “first shot at unlocking the whole Hanna-Barbera Universe" in a grandiose take on its cast of characters in a modern cinematic universe take.
Originally, the project was going to be set as an Avengers-esque Hanna-Barbera crossover film. Over time, the project instead became about Scooby and Shaggy's friendship, as featured in the final film. As director Tony Cervone puts it, “We only had a 90-minute movie,” but he adds that the studio has “a good head start” on them just in case there’s a sequel, and mentions “I think when we first started this was much more like Hanna-Barbera Avengers, and then somehow along the way the more time we spent with Scooby and Shaggy, we were just like, 'This is all we care about.' Scooby and Shaggy had their own gravity that took up space..”
Plot
- The original film's premise, under the title acronym of S.C.O.O.B, had a spy-centered take where Mystery Inc was going to join a larger organization. The organization's name would have been the "Special Covert Organization of Otherworldly Beings".
- One of the film's proposed openings would have been a Wacky Races event, featuring the Mystery Machine with Penelope Pitstop, Shaggy and Scooby, and Blue Falcon on board. In fact, most of the classic racers would have been accounted for. note
- The scene where Shaggy and Scooby first meet as kids appears to have gone through several different forms before the one seen in the final movie, such as Shaggy finding a seemingly abandoned Scooby in the wilderness and another showing Scooby being given to Shaggy as a gift from Shaggy's parents.
- In the final film, Shaggy's backstory involves him trying to be confident to make friends, to make up for his childhood loneliness and insecurities, and then meets up with Scooby as a stray puppy, as his first real friend. Originally, Shaggy's backstory involved him and Scooby seen as outcasts, where Shaggy's parents notice how lonely their son is and decide to take him to a puppy farm to adopt a puppy, where they meet. Other deleted content includes a scene where Shaggy prepares the famous Dagwood Sandwich, and a scene where Dee Dee enters into and explores Shaggy and Scooby's minds, which can all be seen in this video.
- While still containing lighter moments, the film's tone would have gradually become darker in comparison to the final film. A world-ending plot still occurs, but with the addition of multiple Eldritch Abominations of the mythical and robotic kind actively trying to kill the outgunned Mystery Inc. Eventually, Mystery Inc would even acquire weapons or crafty tools to fight back in the climax (pictured above).
- One previous opening for the film reveals that Mystery Inc had a YouTube channel which debunked ghostly urban legends. Scooby and Shaggy ruin a live broadcast when they see a real ghost and freak out. The ghost who terrorises them? The Funky Phantom. Then, it would follow the two being left safe in the Mystery Machine for the next mystery to solve, until Blue Falcon and Dynomutt come to recruit them.
- Fred, Daphne and Velma would have been kidnapped by Dick Dastardly, but his motivation was different to the final product. Dastardly wanted them as an ultimatum for Scooby to hand himself over, rather than to get information from them.
- To add to that, this was the motivation behind the entire crossover itself, according to this former artist's blog. Shaggy and Scooby needed a new team to save their friends, and ultimately, the world.
- Additionally, how they would have encountered him was different, utilizing one of Fred's traps, which would have backfired trapping Fred, instead of Dastardly pulling them over as a sexy police officer.
- To add to that, this was the motivation behind the entire crossover itself, according to this former artist's blog
Characters
- Mystery Inc. would have been teamed up with a united group of other leading Hanna-Barbara characters, as supported by storyboard artist Tom Caulfield and director Tony Cervone. Ultimately, the majority of these characters were cut entirely, retooled, or repurposed as quick cameos for the final film's Creative Closing Credits. These characters include:
- The Great Grape Ape: His origin would have been a cutesy chimpanzee who consumed an unusual grape, transforming him into the team's roughly 18 foot Kaiju-like Mighty Glacier.
- The Great Grape Ape: His origin
- Speed Buggy: His inclusion as the Falcon Fury's dashboard was considered very early in development.
- Speed Buggy: His inclusion as the Falcon Fury's dashboard
- According to Bill Robinson, one of the character designers, Sheriff Stone would have made an appearance, including a host of deputies by his side. Ultimately, loosely related Officer Jaffe and Officer Jay, and Sheriff Stone (who makes a cameo at the beginning) are the only cops featured in the final film.
- Concept art for the movie suggests that the movie was originally going to have a Greater-Scope Villain/The Man Behind the Man beyond Dick Dastardly in the form of none other than the Great Gazoo.
- Jabberjaw was originally going to appear, and be female. This concept was later recycled for her appearance in Jellystone!.
- While Shaggy's parents are heard, they were also going to make a physical appearance. They were dropped, for time and budget.
- Cerberus was originally going to have an army under his command, but it had to be cut for time and budget.
Miscellaneous Content
- Jason Lee, Justin Long, Bill Hader, Patton Oswalt and Jack Black were considered to voice Shaggy Rogers before Will Forte was cast.
- Dwayne Johnson, Ryan Reynolds and Chris Pratt were considered to portray Fred Jones before the casting of Zac Efron.
- Karen Gillan, Anna Kendrick and Bryce Dallas Howard were considered for Daphne Blake before Amanda Seyfried was cast.
- Jenny Slate, Emma Stone and Awkwafina were considered for the role of Velma Dinkley before the casting of Gina Rodriguez.note
- While Frank Welker was always going to voice Scooby, puppy Scooby was originally going to be voiced by a different actor before it was decided he should also be voiced by Welker.
- Dax Shepard was initially involved in the film as co-director and co-writer back in 2016 but left two years later.
- CG5 was approached to audition a song for the record label managing the film's soundtrack. The resulting song, Mystery Machine, was finished but didn't make the cut.
- A spin-off SCOOB! Holiday Haunt would've focused on Mystery Inc. in their youth and be released straight to HBO Max. However, the film was cancelled as the studio moved away from streaming releases and focused on theatrical releases.
